One Hour
by Dukefan1982
Summary: Parker runs away from Booth’s to Brennan’s and she convinces a panicked Booth to give her an hour to straighten things out.


It was a cold December night, Brennan was in bed reading, when she heard the door bell ring tossing back the blanket she looked at the clock 11:00 whoever was ringing her bell at this hour better have a good reason. Looking out the peephole Brennan saw blonde curls, she knew whose curls they were, yanking open the door she said."Parker, what are you doing here?"

His head was down, and Brennan thought she saw tears. "I ran away from Dad's." came out mumbled.

Brennan was scared. "Come in, let's get you warmed up. How'd you get here?"

"I walked."

Brennan shuttered at the thought of Parker out walking the streets alone at night. "Take off your coat and boots and sit on the couch, I'll be right back."

"Okay."

Brennan went to her room and called Booth.

"Bones, Parker's missing!" The panic in Booth's voice scared Brennan a little.

"Booth calm down, Parker's fine he walked here from your apartment. Take a breath and relax."

Brennan heard Booth take a breath, when he got back on the phone he sounded the tiniest bit calmer. "I'm on my way, don't let him leave."

"Booth, Parker is upset and scared, I think it'd be better if you let me talk to him before you come over. You need to call off the FBI and compose yourself. Give me an hour?"

"One hour."

"One hour."

Brennan went back to the living room and knelt in front of the couch, putting a blanket around Parker's shoulders and took and took his hands in hers."Parker, why did you run away from your Dad's?"

"He doesn't love me anymore."The tears silently fell; Brennan wiped them away with her hand.

"Parker, why on Earth would you think that?"

"Mommy got a job in Minnesota. I don't want to go, I want to stay with Daddy, but he said I can't."

Brennan's heart broke, she pulled Parker to her. "Parker, Your Dad loves you very much, don't ever forget that."

"If he did he'd let me say here and not go to Minnesota."

"Parker I bet you moving and not being able to go with you or have you stay here with him is making your Dad very sad."

"Really?" was muffled by a yawn.

"Yes" Brennan looked down and smiled at the sleeping boy, standing up she carried him to her room. Normally she'd leave Parker on the couch, but she needed to talk to Booth about the guilt he had to be feeling. Brennan tucked Parker in and looked out the window to find Booth's SUV parked across the street smiling she pulled out her cell." Booth you can come over now."

Booth was there in less than a minute Brennan met him at the door, Booth was in sweets and a sweatshirt his hair was sticking up he looked sick."Where is Parker?"

"In my room asleep, Booth sit down we need to talk."

Booth took the seat on the couch vacated by his son and picked up his jacket and held it close.

"Booth, Parker thinks you don't love him, because you're letting Rebecca take him to Minnesota and not stay with you."

"So he ran away."

"Yes" Brennan took Booth's hand in hers.

"Why?"

"I don't know he fell asleep before I could ask him."

Booth grinned a little. "I don't know what to do Bones, I looked in to moving with them as soon as Rebecca told me last week, but I can't afford it. I'd take a big pay cut if I transferred there, it sounds selfish, but I can't do it, I'm still not out of the woods from debit I got in college and the gambling thing wasn't easy to get rid of either. I wish Rebecca and I didn't have to think about money, she's taking the job in Minnesota to get more of it. If I move there I'll make less of it." Booth sort of laughed at the irony.

"Booth it isn't selfish. Whatever you decide to do I'll support it."

"Thanks Bones." Booth yawned.

"Booth sleep here tonight, it's late. I'll take the couch."

"Nothing doing Bones I'll take the guest room with Parker."

"Booth, the guest room is full of Dad's stuff I have to send him when he finds a place close to Russ. Just take my bed before you fall asleep on the couch and hurt your back."

"Fine."

Brennan smiled as she followed Booth closely down the hall; she was going to have fantastic dreams tonight! Once Booth and Parker were tucked in Brennan retreated to the couch and fell asleep instantly.

The next morning Brennan made waffles for everyone, no one talked much, there wasn't a lot to say what happened was between Booth and Parker.

"Breakfast was great Bones, thanks."

"You're welcome."

"Parker, say thank you and get your coat."

"Are we going to the movies, Dad?"

"No, we're going home to talk about last night."

"But you said-"

"That was before I got up to get some water and discovered you weren't in your bed or the Apartment! Parker what you did scared the daylights out of me, not to mention you could have been hurt or worse."

Parker walked closer to Booth. "I'm sorry Daddy."

Despite his anger Booth picked Parker up and hugged him until the boy squirmed to get down."I know you are Parker; we'll talk about it more at home. Now, go give Bones a hug goodbye and say thank you then get your coat and boots on."

"Okay." Parker went to Brennan who gathered him up in a tight hug, Booth could tell that finding his son outside her door scared the daylights out of Brennan too; he doubted she'd ever admit it. Parker got bundled up and reached for Booth's hand. Booth bent over and picked him up, Brennan suspected Parker wasn't going to be out of Booth's sight for long this weekend.

Sunday night Brennan was staring at her open refrigerator when the doorbell rang, shutting the fridge she went to the door looking through the peephole she saw Booth's charm smile.

"Booth what are you doing here?"

"I thought you'd like some Thai, and I wanted to say Thank you." Brennan stepped aside letting Booth enter.

"Thank me for what?"

"Being home when Parker showed up, it makes me sick to think about what might have happened if you weren't home or hadn't heard the doorbell."

Brennan put down the carton of food she was opening and took Booth's hand in hers. "Booth, don't think about that."

"But-"

Brennan lightly kissed Booth to stop the words from coming out, this want the time for what ifs, this was the time to be thankful that nothing happened to Parker.

"Bones-"The cocky grin was in place.

Brennan cleared her throat "So, how much trouble is Parker in?"

"We're not going to talk about what just happened?"

"No not now. But if you want to we can after dinner at length if you want."Brennan smiled.

"Oh I want. To answer your question Parker's grounded until they leave in two weeks, no TV or videogames except on the flight I'm taking a way two Christmas presents, things he really wants. He's grounded for three weeks when they get there; I said a month Rebecca added a week for making her worry."

"Booth isn't taking a way Christmas presents extreme?"  
"He's getting them later for his Birthday in March."

"Oh why did Parker come here?"

"He thought he could stay with you and see me whenever he wanted."Booth smiled a little, Brennan's heart melted a lot!"What are you going to do now?"

"Eat my noodles before the congeal more."

Brennan lightly hit Booth in the arm. "I meant about seeing Parker!"

"OW! I'm going to fly in once a month, more if I can swing it; I get him the first half of summer and spring break."

"That's great."

"Yeah. They finished dinner quickly.

"Bones about that kiss…."

"What about it?"

"I think it needs to be studied further."

"I concur."

Many hours later Brennan disentangled herself from Booth's sleeping form and ordered enough first class plane tickets to cover three months worth of biweekly visits to Minnesota for Booth. Luckily she had a month to convince him to take them.


End file.
